Amulet of Artemis
by The Silver Princess
Summary: Elise has never been considered normal, but when two strangers arrive in her small town life suddenly changes. And it all revolves around a mysterious gem called the Amulet of Artemis. *Updated Dec. 6*
1. Premonition

**DISCLAIMER: The concept of the Night World and all related characters belong to L

**DISCLAIMER: The concept of the Night World and all related characters belong to L.J. Smith, not me.**

Author's Notes: Hi everyone. This takes place in the Night World universe but there's not going to be much going on with L.J. Smith's characters. These are all mine. Also, it takes place before Circle Daybreak is formed and therefore before the Night World books take place. Please send some feedback or review! Enjoy reading!

*******************

"In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two."

~Erich Fromm~ 

Amulet of Artemis

by: The Silver Princess

_Something momentous is going to happen today_, Elise Bradley thought as she awoke with a breathless gasp. Her heart thudded slowly in her chest, a strange disconnection between the sound and he event. _Something's different_, she thought again. She lifted her head a few inches from her pillow and glanced around to see if she could discern the origin of this irrational feeling; surely it would be something completely normal and ordinary, like the stopping of the air conditioning. But, as she peered around her room, the early morning air seemed unfamiliar and quivery, as if it were waiting for something. The elusive, blue-gray, almost-dawn light filtered hazily through the slits in her shutters in thin smoky blue sheets, transforming her familiar room into an eerie, unreal place. 

She wrapped her crisp, blue-embroidered comforter more tightly around herself and bit her lip nervously. _Since when do I have premonitions? _she thought mockingly to herself. She squeezed her eyes shut and ignored the little voice saying that she'd never woken up at five in the morning either, and that this had nothing to do with premonitions, just awareness.

Giving herself a mental shake, she pulled off her comforter and reluctantly clambered out of her comfortable bed. _It's just nerves_, she thought as she stood. _Normal, everyday jitters that everybody gets the first day of school_. Elise hated school, especially first days. She could picture the scene now. Everyone would be hugging and catching up with friends. Then she would arrive. The crowd of chatterboxes would fall quiet, and they would draw away from her, parting like the Red Sea. _Boy, am I glutton for punishment_, she thought as even envisioned the glares on the faces of her classmates.

Suddenly, the thoughts of school vanished as she spun around, feeling eyes boring into her back. She caught a brief glimpse of an amber-eyed cat, large and soot-black, peeking through the slits of her shutters before it leapt away. Elise bit her lip and tried to laugh it off, but in the pit of her stomach, she knew something was very wrong, very unbalanced. Why had a black cat been at her window? Not doing anything, just staring?__

_It's just nerves_, she repeated firmly to herself.

She dawdled over her morning ritual of preparing for school, taking comfort in its familiarity. Relaxing in the hot shower, she let the steaming water momentarily wash away her worries. By the time she was toweled off, she was relaxed—almost in a good mood. Sighing languorously, she walked over to her closet to get dressed. She loved going through her closet. When Elise was younger, she'd done everything possible to keep people from noticing her beauty. But now that she was a senior, she knew that trying to look plain made no difference in people's attitudes. This year, she thought, _heck, why not take advantage of it?_

She rifled through her outfits, finally choosing sleek black pants and a silky ebony tank top dusted with subtle twinkles like stardust. She thoroughly brushed her long gold hair, letting it fall like corn-silk over her shoulders and down her back. _I really ought to get it cut_, she thought vaguely. An appraising glance at the mirror confirmed her suspicions; she looked very much like a _femme fatale_ witch, a slim gold dagger sheathed in black.

She breezed through the kitchen, grabbing a bagel from the pantry. As soon as she was out the door, her apprehension of the start of a new school year returned as quickly and overwhelmingly as a tidal wave. With a lump in her stomach, she locked the house behind her. _It's not fair_, she thought, as she daintily nibbled the bagel. _Beauty should be a blessing not a curse. I should be popular, not a social leper._

As she approached the school, her predictions came true. The loud chattering of the crowds of students suddenly became a dull hostile mutter. The clumps drew apart, making room for the tall, willowy girl in glittering black to pass.

She held her head high, trying to look regal and proud and to keep the wetness shining in her cobalt eyes from spilling onto her cheeks. She tried to ignore the glaring envy and animosity in the girls' narrowed eyes and the awe and fear in the boys' wide ones. She made it around the corner away from the gathering before she broke down, salty tears silently streaking down her face.

***

Elise had first become aware of her uncanny beauty when she was five years old. Even then, she had been pretty, showing hints of the awesome beauty to come. She'd started school and immediately became the class freak. She was too different, too beautiful to be normal.

Two years later, she'd lost her temper. A little boy had just run up and touched her hair for a dare, and she'd exploded. With crimson flushed cheeks and a bloodcurdling war cry, she had pounced on the boy. He'd had to go to the nurse and, after that, the childish habit of teasing matured into a searing resentment and tremendous fear of the unnatural girl.

When Elise had finally realized that her looks were driving her classmates away, she'd tried to do something about it. She'd come to school wearing an old red sheet stitched together to form a lumpy dress. She'd tangled her hair and stuck leaves and sticks and dirt in it. She'd smeared her face with clay and mud. However, rather than looking less beautiful, she had shown up at school looking like a mysterious huntress from the savage jungle, emerging for the first time in all her fierce, primal beauty.

Now it was finally her last year of school. In one year, she would be starting college. Maybe there among all those thousands of strangers she could fit in, somehow. _Maybe_, she thought hopelessly.

***

Xander Morgan knew that it was foolish to be worried. They had taken care of everything, every detail had been examined and checked twice over; he and his twin sister, Leilani, would fit in perfectly well, and there was no reason for their relatives—he frowned at the thought—to come after them. They were glad to be rid of them after all. But still his feelings kept picking at him.

"Leilani, where're those candles we brought?" he asked as he finally yielded to the feelings. He looked bewilderedly around at the precarious pillars of still unpacked cardboard boxes.

Leilani glided into the doorway, paused, and then bounded the rest of the way in, appearing as if a solemn sage with burning emerald eyes had just turned into a flame-haired comet. She crouched down, opening the lower cupboard. "Why," she asked, "are you going to doing a Seeing? I'm not getting anything." She paused, head tilted in brief thought."Oh, I know! I already unpacked them." She frowned and rummaged through the cupboard some more. "Ah, here." She thrust an ivory candle at him. "So, again why?"

Xander considered the feeling thoughtfully. It was like a glimmer on the ocean, able to be seen out of the corner of the eye, but it dissolved when looked at directly. He thought and answered carefully, "It's not an actual premonition, just a kind of vague feeling that something's going to happen. Nothing concrete, and normally it wouldn't even bother me, but we can't be too careful."

Leilani instantly reverted to seriousness. "Yes," she replied softly. "I'd almost forgotten how careful we have to be. But still," she said with a glimmer of attitude, "Anything's better than staying with those old stuck-in-the-past biddies." She gestured and fire flared up from the drooping wick of the cloudy candle. "I'll go get our stuff while you See."

Leilani watched as her brother gazed into the flame. His blazing emerald eyes, identical to her own, drained of expression and his face muscles went slack and impassive, even as his mouth formed the words of the incantation to summon his Sight. With a half smile, she affectionately ruffled his dark ruddy-brown hair and left the room to get their things ready.

Absently giving their dhole, Sonakuta, a pat on his shaggy head, Leilani gathered their books and folders, stuffing one of each into their backpacks. After an indecisive moment of hesitation, Leilani also concealed a small bundle of dried leaves in the pocket of her backpack as her brother's words, having ruptured her fragile bubble of independence, rattled distressingly in her head. _We can't be too careful._

She returned just as he was rousing from his trance. He gave her a bleary-eyed glance and then said hazily as he extinguished the candle, "I was right about that feeling: something is going to happen. It's too vague to even say what, though. But it has something to do with . . . it . . . well, it involves this. . . girl."

Leilani arched her eyebrow elegantly and gave him a lewd glance. He blushed, as she knew he would. He stumbled hurriedly over his explanation. "No, I mean, uh, she's . . . oh, I don't know. It just, well, I didn't See her exactly, but I could feel her essence. And it was strong. Stronger than any human's should be."

"Are you positive she's human then?"

He nodded. "It was a human essence, but it was inhumanly strong."

Leilani pondered this thought soberly, chewing on her thumbnail. She and Xander had planned to escape all areas of the Craft, but even she had been able to sense something about this town when they first arrived. Xander had practically collapsed. Was this strange girl the cause of this 'something' or just an indication? They sat for a minute in silence, lost in similar thoughts.

"Goddess!" Leilani swore, all thoughts on their strange new home fleeing from her mind like mice from an opened cage. "Come, on! We're going to be late!" She seized her backpack by its straps, not even bothering to deposit it correctly on her shoulders, and flew out the door, her twin following at her heels. Neither one even noticed the black cat hissing by their doorstep.


	2. Introductions

**DISCLAIMER: The concept of the Night World and all related characters belong to L

**DISCLAIMER: The concept of the Night World and all related characters belong to L.J. Smith, not me.**

Author's Notes: Hi everyone. This takes place in the Night World universe but there's not going to be much going on with L.J. Smith's characters. These are all mine. Also, it takes place before Circle Daybreak is formed and therefore before the Night World books take place. Please send some feedback or review! Enjoy reading!

*******************

"In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two."

~Erich Fromm~ 

Amulet of Artemis

by: The Silver Princess

Elise sat in her seat, idly tracing the pattern of the wood on her desk. She sneaked another glance at the girl sitting beside her. She was new—that was for sure, and that alone merited great interest. In their town, new students were a rarity. She seemed pretty, not gorgeous but adorable with a heart-shaped face and dimples. Her short flame-like hair of impossibly red, orange, and yellow curls, clustered wildly all over her head, and her fiery green eyes were hanging intently on every word the teacher said.

Elise had already heard the first-day talk that all the teachers gave; it was as though each teacher memorized it and recited the same thing each year. She mouthed a few words with the teacher and then, with nothing to do, she turned her attention back to this new girl. She ducked her head down, pretending to look intently at her notebook but actually trying to read the name scrawled on the spine of the other girl's textbook.

Leilani. Elise squinted but couldn't make out the last name. The unusual name seemed to fit the girl with the funky hair. With a wry face, she thought, _But this Leilani girl's not unusual enough to be an outcast, just exotic enough to be interesting._ With a sigh, she straightened up.

Just then the girl glanced over at her, and her eyes widened almost imperceptibly, the fire in them flaring, before she looked back to the teacher.

Slightly unnerved at the flare—of recognition?—in those eyes of emerald fire, Elise devoted her attention to doodling cartoons on her paper for the rest of class and didn't glance over again._ _

She noticed that the fiery-haired girl was in her next class as well. In fact, everyone noticed her when, two steps into the classroom, she collided with the history teacher, Mr. Freestone. His books and papers flew all over, and he barely held onto his cup of coffee. Unfortunately, despite Leilani's well-meant attempts to help, she only succeeded in knocking the coffee that he had salvaged at the expense of his books and papers onto his shirt. Wisely, she backed off, and Mr. Freestone grumped and grumbled his way to change his shirt.

With a rather amusingly self-conscious look on her dimpled face, she slid into the empty seat next to Elise. She didn't stay embarrassed for long though and she turned to Elise. "Hi! I'm Leilani Morgan. What's your name? You don't think he'll be that upset do you?" she bubbled, practically radiating ebullience.

"I'm Elise Bradley, and no, he's usually pretty easy-going. Just stay out of his way for a few days," she answered slowly. With a sudden thought, she added hesitatingly, "Look, you're new, and so I'll just tell you now and save you the trouble. You see, I'm sort of a—for lack of better term—social untouchable. It's not that I want to drive you away or anything, but you should keep that in mind."

"Wanna be friends?" Leilani asked with a wide grin.

Elise gave the girl a sharp glance, her eyebrows snapping up. Was she just out of it or hadn't she heard her?

"Look," Leilani said, suddenly turning serious and wise-looking, her steadily-burning emerald eyes looking earnestly into Elise's cerulean ones. "I kinda have a feeling that I'm not going to fit in with you . . . ah . . . small-towners all that well; so it doesn't matter if you're . . . whatever you said. Besides," she continued, her green eyes seeming to flare again, "there's something about you."

Elise could just stare at her in dumb astonishment. Who _was this strange flame-haired girl who actually wanted to befriend her? Leilani, no longer serious, was chatting on, apparently unaware of her companion's inner musing. Elise smiled shakily. _

Leilani, flashing her smile confidently and cheerfully, continued to radiate vivacity.

The rest of the morning passed fuzzily and before she knew it, Elise was stuffing her books into her locker and pulling out her lunch. Leilani leaned against the closed lockers, waiting patiently. 

"Did you bring your lunch?" Elise asked as she slammed her locker shut and twirled the lock to secure it.

Leilani shook her head vigorously, flaming locks bobbing back and forth in time with her headshake. 

"You should've," Elise grinned mischievously. "Now you're in for the dreaded Mystery Meat that our cafeteria serves."

"Hang on, is it ok if my twin brother eats with us?" Leilani asked, grabbing her arm.

"Uh, sure," she responded, flustered at the sudden idea of eating with _two_ people.

"Great!" Leilani replied and off she bounded.

Xander's morning had been uneventful. He hadn't been paying any attention in his classes because all the while he had been straining all his rather unusual senses to identify that girl from his vision. He knew she was here; her essence was so strong that it permeated the entire school, but it was too strong to tell from which classmate it originated. 

"Xander!"

He turned and saw his sister bouncing towards him. He smiled warmly at this welcome recess from the surrounding humans.

"Xander," she said solemnly, executing one of her customary attitude revolutions. "I think I've found her."

"What, how?"

"Her name's Elise, and I used Craft to look at her, and she's, well, suffice it to say an incredible person. Plus, well, come see her. You wouldn't believe me. You have to see her to believe it." She looked at him, plainly asking, well?

Xander sighed. Whether serious or not, Leilani was obstinate. He hadn't had any luck finding the girl, and he certainly didn't want to eat alone among all the chattering, alien humans, so he waved his hand in yielding consent and followed her beacon of hair to the cafeteria.

She led him through throngs of humans waiting in the lunch line and then pointed out a girl sitting at the corner table. He muttered a word to enhance his vision, and then he saw her.

"Craft Lords," he whispered, losing his breath in astonishment. "She's Elemental. But I thought that Elemental humans were extinct." In his peripheral vision he saw Leilani nod happily, pleased with herself. But he was too busy concentrating on the girl—Elise, Leilani had called her.

She was . . . dazzling. Looking at her he understood the sappy, romantic poetry that he'd always scoffed at. Her hair was golden yellow, not blond, but a true gold like butter and sunlight merged together to form golden tresses falling perfectly straight and silky over her perfectly molded shoulders. Her flawless ivory skin was like smooth alabaster or fresh daisy petals. A faint rosiness flushed slightly over her high cheekbones, and her full lips, naturally pink, were like two satiny rose petals. And her wide eyes framed with long black lashes, those eyes now trained on her lunch, were luminous blue, shades that were constantly changing depending upon the way the light struck. They shifted from the color of clear summer skies, to cornflowers, then the luminescence found in the center of flame finally melting into twilight cobalt. She brushed her hair back from her face, and he marveled at the curve of her slim forearm and its graceful movement. She was as soft as velvet surrounding a hidden iron core. From just a glance, his senses were already screaming. The beauty of her spirit as well as her person shook him to the core. It was as though she was surrounded with glowing golden effulgence. Just as he managed to get ahold of himself, she glanced up from her lunch, looking for Leilani.

Emerald eyes met sapphire eyes, and he braced himself for the shock his magical senses would feel. He looked deep into those liquid cobalt gems and felt a strange lurch in his senses.

_She must be Elemental, no human's ever done this to me before_, Xander thought giddily as he stumbled, eyes still locked with hers. His senses were in overload. He felt everything on a level above impossible. He could feel the individual molecules of air and See pictures too quickly. _I haven't invoked it_, he thought unsteadily. At the same time, an undercurrent of his mind was simply concentrating on this high-school Aphrodite called Elise. He didn't know if he should be euphoric or alarmed by the reeling in his heart.

Leilani grabbed him and helped him to his knees before he pitched forward headfirst. The pressure of her concerned hands on his bare arms jerked him back from his introspective shock. He dazedly noticed with a deep breath that everyone else was also stumbling. Elise was coming towards them steadily on hands and knees to keep her balance.

"Leilani!" Her voice like water trickling over rocks combined with the music of the Muses. "You guys okay?"

Through glassy eyes he saw his sister nod, and then the girl reached them. "Jeez, you two are having a great first day aren't you? Earthquakes here are pretty normal, despite what those geologists say."

Ashen, Leilani nodded slowly. Xander squeezed her hand, knowing the quake must have been especially hard for her earthy senses than his ability with minds.

The earth rumbled to a stop and Leilani's color returned. Looking at Elise, she said breathlessly, "Well, this is my brother Xander. Xander, Elise." 

Her rose petal lips curved into a smile revealing exquisite pearl teeth. "Nice to meet you," she responded. She pulled herself to her feet and offered the still unsettled twins a hand up.

Her hand was cool and silken with a good grip. She yanked both Xander and Leilani up with a brisk jerk.

"You shocked me!" she accused laughingly, absently rubbing her palm where Xander and she had shocked each other. "Come on, food's still on the table despite the shaking, and you seem hungry."

Elise led them to her table, all the while stealing glances at Leilani's brother, Xander. Her insides were quivering, and her chest thumping from that strange feeling when her eyes had met his just before the earthquake. It was as if he had shocked all of her, not just her hand. It wasn't just his movie-star looks, although that certainly helped. It was something she'd seen deep inside those blazing green pools. She shivered slightly just as an aftershock lightly touched the building, and she absently shooed an amber-eyed black cat away from her seat.


	3. Life with the Morgans

**DISCLAIMER: The concept of the Night World and all related characters belong to L

**DISCLAIMER: The concept of the Night World and all related characters belong to L.J. Smith, not me.**

Author's Notes: Hi everyone. This takes place in the Night World universe but there's not going to be much going on with L.J. Smith's characters. These are all mine. Also, it takes place before Circle Daybreak is formed and therefore before the Night World books take place. Please send some feedback or review! Enjoy reading!

*******************

"In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two."

~Erich Fromm~ 

Amulet of Artemis

by: The Silver Princess

"And this is my room," Elise said as she opened the door.

Leilani, in a pensive mood and not apparently paying attention to anything, followed her in. But even after knowing her just a week, Elise knew Leilani was actually absorbing every detail. 

Elise sat down on the edge of her bed, as she let her friend wander aimlessly around her room. Today, Saturday, was the first time Leilani had been able to see her room, which, Elise had noticed, she had appeared uncommonly eager to visit.

"What's that?" Elise asked as Leilani pulled something out of her pocket and placed it in her mouth.

"Oh, just some gum," she answered nonchalantly.

Elise made a face at the fib, but she'd already accepted that there were just some things she would have to accept about Leilani. 

The flame-haired girl continued to wander around Elise's blue-hued room, her fingers drifting lightly over her furniture, gazing intently over all of her decorations and pictures.

"All right," she bubbled suddenly, switching moods. "Now what about those cookies you promised me?"

Elise laughed happily as she led her to the kitchen, where the other girl immediately pounced upon the fresh cookies, baked earlier that morning, devouring them voraciously.

As Leilani chattered on, crumbs still clinging to her dimples, Elise's attention wandered. Since Leilani and Xander had befriended her, school had become a joy rather than an ordeal. Leilani was everything she'd ever wanted in a friend. Xander, well, he remained aloof but also protective. _Like a personal bodyguard or an older brother who doesn't like your company but still feels responsible or something to take care off me_, she thought somberly. She wished he would let his guard down. Whenever she saw him, her chest thudded sweetly and confusingly, and she wished she could just see him as he was, without all his protective armor. This remoteness and her feelings of apprehension, which had not disappeared after the first day of school, were the only thorns in the flower of her now wonderful life.

"Xander," Leilani chirped, as her twin entered the kitchen through the unlocked backdoor. 

Well, speak of the devil. "Don't you ever knock?" Elise asked crossly, hating the indifferent expression on his countenance and the detached look in those emerald eyes, even as they blazed at her. "Oh!" 

A large golden-orange dog padded in silently behind him. Grinning, Elise went down on her knees, exclaiming, "He's adorable! Why didn't you tell me you had a dog!"

Xander opened his mouth to protest, but the animal was already in her arms. "Oh, and he's just a big sweetie. Aren't you?" Elise crooned lovingly to it as she scratched behind its ears. "What's his name?" She hugged the shaggy creature, and his tongue darted out to try to give her cheek a doggie kiss. She laughed and wrinkled her nose as she avoided the moist tongue. 

Casually sticking his hands in his pockets, Xander answered coolly, "Sonakuta—Sona for short. It means Gold Dog in Hindi." She gave him a questioning look and he added, "It's because he's a dhole, an Asiatic wild dog, that's usually a rusty red, so we figured since he was such an unusual color . . ." He trailed off, shrugging.

Elise noticed the glance the two twins shared, but was too busy scratching the collie-sized dhole's belly to pay attention to it. She laughed again in delighted surprise as he attempted to thrust his cold wet nose into the hollow of her ear.

***

"Jeez, Xander!" Leilani exploded at him on the walk home after Elise had politely said she was tired but more likely was unable to take anymore of Xander's cold attitude. "I don't know what's gotten into you. It wouldn't hurt to be a little kinder to her. She _is my best friend, the only friend either of us has managed to make. But _noooo_. You treat her almost as badly as everyone else does. You won't even do another Seeing about her. And you have to admit, she is important. She's more than just Elemental. Just look how Sona responded. He never responds like that with non-witches. We _trained_ him not to. Goddess Xander! _She_ is _more_ than you know or care to admit!" She was worked up in a frenzy now, too upset to care what she was yelling while humans were still around. Xander ducked his head, averted his eyes from her probing gaze, and walked determinedly on._

"Don't ignore me, Xander Morgan! She's more than Elemental; she's my best friend! Goddess! Can't you see she wants to be friends with you?" She paused momentarily. "Look," she seethed, quieting her voice dangerously. "If you refuse to See anything about her than I'll force one myself."

Aghast, Xander stopped in his tracks and stared at his sister. It was true that he didn't want to See anything about Elise, but it wasn't hate or disgust that was causing it. Goddess, he _loved her. He'd realized it just after they first met. He loved her golden hair and her lapis lazuli eyes. He adored her vitality and her sensitivity. She was brave and strong, but still sweet and innocent through and through. She was always an undercurrent drifting in his mind, intertwining herself in all his thoughts. And as soon as he had admitted his love to himself, he had decided to have as little to do with her as possible. Perhaps her being Elemental was just coincidental. Maybe he was the reason she'd get involved. Xander couldn't risk that. Especially, not when his premonitions were warning him so strongly of a danger._

But now, someone just as precious was in danger. Using gifts a witch doesn't truly have is dangerous, very dangerous.

Blinking resignedly, he agreed, "I'll do it, Leilani."

Surprised at the easy defeat, she opened her mouth to say something, but he silenced her desolately. "You're right."

They walked the rest of the way in silence, the anger drained from Leilani. Her anger came as violently and went as quickly as a summer cloudburst. Xander knew that Leilani understood him. Now clearheaded, she knew that something was going on with him that she did not understand, but she also knew that she couldn't push; he'd tell her in his own time.

They reached their house and he silently lit the candle that they hadn't bothered to put away. The unlit room flickered eerily in the dim light of the dancing flame.

He chanted the invocation and gazed deep into flame. His mind fell into the black center of the flame, now stretched into a long dark tunnel. The darkness cradled him and brought him gently spiraling to the bottom of the abyss, light as a falling feather. He hovered delicately over the shimmering ground that pulsed and rose, forming an image that grew to block everything else. He Saw, and suddenly, the warmth of the blackness changed to stifling coldness. The sour stench of fear pervaded his nostrils. Tendrils of panic snaked around his mind, ensnaring him. 

Xander physically jerked himself out of it and stumbled drunkenly to his feet, praying that this trance hadn't lasted too long and that they weren't too late. "Leilani!" he yelled, his voice abnormally shrill.

"I'm right here, Xander," she murmured soothingly at his left. 

His hand gripped hers as he panted in terror, "It's Elise. We have to hurry."

The two sped to the door, Leilani calling Sona with her mind. In seconds, the three were out in the dark night racing towards Elise's house. Xander cursed himself for refusing to do a Seeing before, lowered his head, and ran faster, pulling every drop of strength for this.

***

Elise was cleaning up the kitchen after her chicken-salad dinner. She scrubbed furiously at her plate, taking her anger out on it. Her adopted parents had sent another insincerely sweet letter from the city. Things were wonderful there. Hoped she was taking care of the house and herself. Love, love, smooch, smooch. And by the way, sweetie, could you maybe fix up the house in such and such way. _I'm their caretaker_, she thought bitterly. Her parents had been glad to leave their freakish daughter that they had adopted for tax reduction in the small town to tend their country house. I was after all cheaper than hiring somebody to look after it. She placed the last dish in the dishwasher and slammed the door shut with satisfying bang.

Elise sat down at the kitchen table, giving the window a sharp rap with her knuckles as she went by to shoo away that annoying black cat. She rested her chin on the palms of her hands. _Oh, well_, she thought trying to keep herself from falling into despondency. _You do have a best friend now. And Xander_, she told herself. Happy to think of something else, she turned her mind to the problem of Xander Morgan.

She wasn't sure if the mahogany-haired boy even liked her. She couldn't decide if she could even consider him a friend. All through the week, he had hung out with the two, but every time he had almost warmed, he would revert back to infuriating coolness. He was sort of protective of her, but perhaps that was only because his twin sister liked her. Maybe that's why he even bothers to speak to her at all. Her throat tightened convulsively at the thought, and she felt like an iron vice was squeezing the breath from her lungs.

Elise gave herself a shake, resisting the wetness welling up in her watery blue eyes. "That certainly didn't do much to improve your mood," she said aloud in a sarcastic voice.

Her voice sounded strangely unfamiliar and ominous in the vacant house. She was suddenly aware that with the dark outside and the light inside, she could only see a reflection in the window, not anything outside. Ignoring the sudden constriction around her chest, agitatedly different from the previous one, she rose only somewhat shakily to her feet. _You've been watching too many horror movies_, she scolded herself firmly, deriding herself for such inane fancies and taking a deep reassuring breath. 

She kept repeating to herself that it was all in her mind. The nape of her neck prickled, and she glanced over at her reflection in the window. As she stared at the reflection of her wide, frightened eyes, the glass shattered with unexpected slowness, and then she felt fingers on her throat.


	4. Xander

**DISCLAIMER: The concept of the Night World and all related characters belong to L

**DISCLAIMER: The concept of the Night World and all related characters belong to L.J. Smith, not me.**

Author's Notes: Hi everyone. This takes place in the Night World universe but there's not going to be much going on with L.J. Smith's characters. These are all mine. Also, it takes place before Circle Daybreak is formed and therefore before the Night World books take place. Please send some feedback or review! Enjoy reading!

*******************

"In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two."

~Erich Fromm~ 

Amulet of Artemis

by: The Silver Princess

Half of Elise's mind froze, repeating frantically, no, it's impossible, no. The other half was thrown into analytical action. It told her stunned, motionless body exactly what to do.

The assailant was already stumbling from the earthquake that had started unnoticed during her moment of panic. Using her better balance and a strength born of terror, she kneed him between the legs and then, prying his fingers off, wrenched his hands away from her gasping throat.

She backed away from the man, breath rasping in her chest, fingers outstretched and groping, searching for a weapon. As she kept her eyes on him, waiting for his next charge, she got a good look at him.

His white blond hair was meticulously combed and his clothes prepared with equal care. He seemed respectable until you looked at his eyes, gold eyes all wild and bloodshot. The eerie combination of orderliness and derangement took her regained breath away. He terrified her; she had no idea what expect from him. Those demented eyes had gone unfocused during her counterassault, but they were now trained on her.

With a shriek, he sprang towards her, knocking her back with his momentum. She yelped as they slammed into the counter, the edge catching her in the spine. His fingers were at her throat again and the counter was digging into her back. Her mind chattered with lightheaded terror. Black dots swam in her vision, as she clawed at the hands around her throat. _I have to do something, I have to do something. _Forcing herself to release his hands she brought back her arm, and swung her fist, catching him in the side of the head. His grip faltered, and she aggressively scratched and kicked at him. His hands loosened, but he was still pressed against her, pushing her into the counter. He griped her hands so that she couldn't move them any longer, and then he smiled. She snarled and clamped her teeth down _hard on his shoulder, drawing blood. He yowled and backed away from her, gasping. Elise panted with exertion, trying to ready herself for his next attack._

He came at her again, smiling wildly, when a shape hurtled itself through the broken window, knocking the man away from her. Two more shapes followed with preternatural grace.

With amazement, she saw Sonakuta crouching in front of the man he had just knocked over, flanked closely by Leilani. Xander didn't even glance at them.

Xander rushed towards her, sweeping by the threatening figure. "Are you all right?" he asked frantically. Elise nodded, her adrenaline draining away leaving her dazed and weak-kneed. Leilani, however, was not distracted by Xander's alarmed concern, nor was Sonakuta. The dhole snarled fiercely, about to leap.

The man smiled gleefully and crazily and, just like that, leapt out the window with no further attempt at violence. Leilani and Sonakuta followed.

Almost sobbing with relief, Elise suddenly found herself encircled in Xander's strong, comforting arms. With stunned surprise, she noted that he was trembling almost as badly as she was. "You put up a good fight," he noted tensely. His cool voice, thick with emotion, was almost unrecognizable. She raised her head to look him straight in the eye.

And stopped cold. That hated, remote, indifferent expression was completely wiped away from his countenance. His fiery emerald eyes were wide and dilated, like a frightened child, smoldering with worry, fading terror and something else.

Her chest throbbed so honestly, and then she knew why it did so around him and why his eyes looked like that now. She loved him and he her, simple as that. And they both knew it in that instant.

And then he kissed her.

Elise had never been kissed before, and in a flash, she knew that Xander was the only one she'd ever want to kiss. His love bathed her and comforted her, purging the last few minutes. It was as though a golden mist had encircled them. She didn't even care that they weren't kissing anymore, just embracing each other, his face buried in her mass of gold hair. She loved him, and that was all she could think. He was stroking her hair so delicately, as if afraid she weren't real. He murmured, voice soft and muffled into her hair over and over, "I love you." 

Joy rippled through her at the thought of it, like the waves a stone makes when dropped into a still pond, and she whispered back through the lovely warm mist, "I love you."

She smiled with delight. Soulmate. The word just came to her in a flash of inspiration like a bursting of stars. They were soulmates. With a stunned start, she realized that Xander was mentally nodding, and she could feel his happy agreement as though she were inside his mind. She melted into the sensation. It was magical. Magic, pure and simple. She was Elise, he was Xander, and they were one and the same, together.

Elise's hiss of pain woke them from their sheltered world, jolting them from the mind-connection that had sprung up between them. Xander pulled away from her and looked down at her hand, knuckles sorely bruised from her wild punch. "Let's get you cleaned up," he said.

He sat her at the table, laughingly saying that he didn't need help to make an icepack and that she needed to rest. Elise nodded and closed her eyes, not really protesting that much. 

"Here," he said as he sat beside her, laying the icepack on her hand. "Once Leilani gets back, she'll give you some of her balm that she makes for anything that feels sore. Trust me, it's better than anything in the stores."

"She always just carries it around with her?" Elise asked.

"No, she'll realize that you're hurt and pick some up from home before she comes back," Xander said, his fire-emerald eyes staring off into space. He focused again and looked at Elise, smiling. 

Leilani returned, so angry that her face was as red as her hair. "He got away," she said through clenched teeth, eyes flickering towards Xander. He nodded and turned towards Elise with fiery emerald eyes, no longer distant, but full of love.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said tenderly. 

Leilani smiled briefly and inattentively at her, engrossed in thought as she handed her a small bottle filled with thick lotion. "Just put it on anywhere you hurt." With those parting words, the Morgans departed, but not before Xander kissed her again when Leilani wasn't looking.

***

Leilani pounced on him the moment the two were out of hearing range. "Well, come on. Details, details. You didn't say much in that little mind-message. Tell me _everything_. Did you two kiss?"

He blushed and stared straight ahead.

"You did!" she squealed.

Xander glared at her, which she returned. Then she laughed good-humoredly. "Well, I'm glad you're not pining away anymore. Since apparently that's what was going on with you," she said teasingly, eyes twinkling impishly.

He glared at her again but that only succeeded in widening her wickedly delighted grin. "What about that witch?" he said somewhat desperately, trying to steer her away from the subject of him and Elise.

She turned serious instantly, her enthusiasm disappearing as quickly as a flicked switch, turning off her kilowatt of energy. "He's not that powerful a witch. Just someone's hired muscle. Xander, someone's here. Someone more powerful than they would send just to hunt down a couple of runaway witches. This witch is playing for keeps. Sona sensed immense fear on that witch. The witch who's commanding him—whoever he or she may be—is powerful enough to scare other witches, probably Circle Midnight if he or she even accepts their authority. I know it couldn't have been the Crone or the Mother. Definitely not Aradia. I honestly think this is a rogue who just does their own thing, regardless."

"Why go after Elise?" he asked, voice strained.

"He or she probably has Sight. You Saw yourself that she has something important to do with this." In a softer voice, she continued, "We'll take care of her. Don't worry. With a witch for a best friend and another as a boyfriend, she'll be safe through whatever's going to happen. If it'll make you feel better, maybe we should send Sona to take care of her for a while."

"Yeah, maybe we should," he answered, thinking simultaneously that he would do everything possible to protect her himself. 

***

Elise didn't want to wake up that morning. She was afraid it had all been a lovely dream. It had happened so suddenly and without apparent warning, that maybe it hadn't happened at all. She stretched catlike, not feeling sore at all.

She padded softly over to the kitchen, saw the smashed window, and knew it wasn't a dream. With a whimsical expression, she swept up the piercing glass shards and slammed closed the shutters, locking them securely until she could have the window repaired.

She spent the day lazily, knowing the twins would be over that evening. _How different everything is now_, she mused. _I have a best friend and a_—she blushed a little—_soulmate_. In only a week. Yet, despite the lack of time, she already felt completely at home with them. She shivered deliciously, as the thought of her kiss last night rose to the surface of her thoughts. 

"Helloooo!"

"Leilani! In here!" Elise called from the living room. Leilani bounced in merrily as Xander followed.

Elise was at once shy and elated. How should she act? Xander put her fears to rest by giving her a quick kiss. 

Elise blushed intensely, as Leilani looked on with amusement. "So, well? I want to hear it from my best friend. In words. You guys a couple now? Officially?" she asked Elise.

With a self-conscious smile, Elise replied, "Yes." Then, as meetings with the following always were, Sonakuta was unexpectedly and cheerfully in her arms.

Xander smiled, his first in many days. But he seemed to withdraw; his smile didn't quite reach his now inscrutable burning green eyes. "We brought Sona to keep you company. You know, after last night and all."

Touched at their concern, she accepted Sonakuta as a friendly loan. The trio settled down to dinner. Elise hoped the twins wouldn't notice her anxiety. She'd found a note on the floor when she'd gone to get the dinner. She didn't want them to worry unnecessarily. _It's just a silly note, a complete prank_, she thought. Silly, no details even. Yet, as she remembered the words, they, although vague, struck true, and her skin prickled.

_Be careful. You have no idea what you're dealing with._


	5. Reality of the Situation

**DISCLAIMER: The concept of the Night World and all related characters belong to L

**DISCLAIMER: The concept of the Night World and all related characters belong to L.J. Smith, not me.**

Author's Notes: Hi everyone. This takes place in the Night World universe but there's not going to be much going on with L.J. Smith's characters. These are all mine. Also, it takes place before Circle Daybreak is formed and therefore before the Night World books take place. Please send some feedback or review! Enjoy reading!

*******************

"In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two."

~Erich Fromm~ 

Amulet of Artemis

by: The Silver Princess

"Its even weirder than normal. They used to stare, now they're outright _gaping," Elise remarked to Xander. He shrugged quietly, distant._

She frowned. "Is something the matter?" she asked worriedly.

"Oh," he started as if just noticing she was still there. "Nothing." Affectionately, he draped his arm over her shoulders with a loving squeeze.

Elise frowned suspiciously, unsatisfied with his vagueness, and she was not about to be put off by a romantic gesture. She opened her mouth to insist on a straightforward answer.

"Hey, guys!" Leilani hollered from the other side of the hall, effectively silencing Elise's forthcoming demand. She squirmed her way towards them. "So study session at your house?" she asked, turning towards Elise.

"Sure," she said affirmatively.

The three walked companionably towards Elise's home. "Godde . . . uh, God!" Leilani exclaimed, stopping suddenly. "I left my biology book in my locker. I _so_ cannot get another incomplete on homework. Wait here, okay?" Without pausing to hear their consent, she took off flying back towards the school. Elise and Xander shared an amused glance as they watched the fiery-haired figure retreat into the distance.

"Do you think she really forgot her book?" Elise asked skeptically.

"Not a chance," Xander replied immediately. "She almost never forgets anything. No, I think this is a case of sisterly meddling. This morning she mentioned thinking that we didn't have enough time together alone."

Elise laughed. "Well, the least we could do is fulfill her wishes," she said all too lackadaisically.

Xander grinned wickedly and, catching her by her wrist, pulled her to him. She snuggled against him. Holding her chin, he raised her face and kissed her.

Elise floated happily but then frowned mentally, wishing she could feel that connection with him again. Oh, it was a wonderful kiss, but that magical touching of minds seemed cut off.

Without warning, somebody knocked into them and sent her reeling from the safety of his arms. Her head hit something, immediately sending a throb of pain into her skull. She looked up, a sharp retort on her tongue for whoever had knocked her down.

But it wasn't Leilani. All lightheartedness fled from her disposition. She gulped, frozen as that horrible man who had assaulted her now attacked Xander.

She couldn't move. Even the analytical part of her mind, so helpful when she was attacked was petrified at the sight of Xander struggling with a madman. Somehow, it couldn't be happening. 

The fight was eerily silently. Neither Xander nor that lunatic cried out or yelled. They just grappled silently and perilously as two lethal cobras. Her head pounded and throbbed. That must be why she thought she saw colored fire flicker around them.

Before Elise could even follow the movement, the man got the upper hand. He slammed Xander against the trunk of a close-by tree. His head made a wet _smack and Elise saw blood, bright crimson against the dark red-brown of his hair. She saw Xander look up with his blazing emerald eyes unfocused at the man towering over him._

The ground trembled, and she jerked to her senses. Suddenly, she was no longer dazed and disbelieving. She scooped up her forgotten backpack, and holding it by its straps, she swung it at the gold-eyed man, knocking the breath out of him. The momentum of her bag swung her around and overbalanced her. With a small shriek, she toppled over to the ground.

Tears sprung to her eyes as she hit the hard pavement of the sidewalk and lost her breath, giving the assailant time to recover. With Xander now out of the picture, the man slowly strolled towards her gasping body.

As he looked at her with that mad grin, she glanced over at Xander. _Oh, please say he's all right. He's all right, right? Oh, god._ She looked up at the man.

He saw that she was aware of him and came in to attack. She squeezed her eyes shut in mock defeat. Now or never. _For you, Xander_, she thought ferociously. _I'll kill anybody who dares hurt you_. Through slitted azure eyes, she saw the attacker stand over her. NOW!

With all her strength, she snapped her leg up, catching him hard between the legs. As the man _oomphed and doubled over, she crawled to Xander._

He looked up at her dazedly. "I'll be okay," he whispered painfully. "Go."

"Not on your life!" she said indignantly. She pressed a firm hand against his head cut. "Now, be quiet." She kissed him gently, tears finally squeezing from her eyes. Oh, god. What would she have done without him?

She looked over her shoulder and saw the man slink into the forest. _Good riddance_, she thought. "Shh," Elise murmured to Xander. "Everything's going to be just fine," she said tearfully.

***

Xander felt his heart constrict painfully every time he recalled Elise's tears and the danger she went through trying to protect him. It was through luck more than anything that she had survived. More than ever, that witch meant business. He had been out for Xander's blood.

"Xander, you okay?" Elise asked worriedly. She had come over after he missed school to see how he was. He nodded inattentively. It was his fault. She would have been home, safe and sound if she hadn't been with him. His initial instincts had been right.

"Could you just give me some privacy?" he found himself asking brusquely.

He glanced at her face and saw her frown, about to ask another question. Immediately, he amended, "I'm just a little tired, you know." 

Instantly, her exquisite cobalt eyes turned sensitive. "I'll let you rest then," she smiled softly. She leaned forward, gave him a gentle peck with those lovely rose-colored lips, and quietly left the room. His last glance of her was her gorgeous glittering gold hair.

He had hurt her; only the excuse of his injury had saved him. But perhaps it was better that way. He would have to—he gulped convulsively—break up with her, would have to see her tears and not comfort her. _But better to see her tears than her blood_, he thought harshly.

Glimmering teardrops gathered in his fiery emerald eyes. He wouldn't think of himself. He loved her and therefore couldn't endanger her. He'd have to keep her away from him.

_But not yet_, he thought.

**Hi, everyone. I'm sorry for the delay in posting, but summer vacation traveling made things a trifle difficult. So, FYI: I'm going to be gone all July, and I won't get to posting anything until August. Chao 'til then!**


	6. Discovery

**DISCLAIMER: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon, UPN (doesn't it feel weird to think that it's no longer the WB 

**DISCLAIMER: The concept of the Night World and all related characters belong to L.J. Smith, not me, much as I may wish otherwise.**

Author's Notes: FINALLY! I thought I was going to go mad! I get back from traveling and I'm all ready to post this new installment for all of you, but as I'm sure you know, ff.net was not working! And then, to top it off, proving to me that Murphy's Law loves technology, the only computer in the house with internet connection decides to catch a virus and crash completely. So off it went to be repaired. Luckily, after a few days it's back at home, and I've pulled myself back from the brink of insanity (banana, goobldeygook, Paris, soap) Well, sort of. Anyway, here it is. Enjoy reading! 

Rating: PG

******************* 

"In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two."

~Erich Fromm~ 

Amulet of Artemis

by: The Silver Princess

It was marvelous being Xander's girlfriend. Elise soon became accustomed to leaning against his warmth when they sat and his tiny acts of tenderness through the days. He continued to withdraw from her, even as he held her, but she tried to ignore it. She was mostly satisfied with the world, even her unexplained uneasiness pushed aside in light of Leilani's friendship and Xander's love.

"Leilani!" 

A cheerleader with blond hair done up in pigtails hurried over to their table. Even though Leilani hung out with Elise, some of the kids still deigned to talk to the fire-haired girl, if they really felt like gossiping.

Leilani gave Elise and Xander an apologetic glance and turned to the girl. "Brittany, I told you, I don't care who Stacy is currently dating, and I don't care if you think Kevin is going to win the football game."

"No, no, no!" the girl protested, in a high-pitched, ditzy voice. "Someone was attacked! Mr. Hamilton—you know that guy who runs the movie theater—yeah, well, he was attacked at his house. In that garden of his I think."

Against her, Xander stiffened, and Elise noticed that Leilani's shoulder muscles had gone taut and her back rigid.

In an odd voice, Xander asked, "Did they say what happened to him?"

Eager for a listening audience, Brittany related," Oh, yeah. It's really weird. Um, let's see. He's all scratched, like really bad, like a tiger got him or something. Ooo, and he…what did they call it…arrested. I guess the police are involved. Oh, oh, oh! His heart had some kind of problem, but the doctors and whatever, they like tested him, and they say he should be fine. Like, I mean, how stupid, obviously he's not! _And he's gone crazy or somethin' 'cause he keeps, uh what'd they say, oh, raving about eyes and darkness and all that spooky type of stuff, you know." The girl ran out of steam and waited for their reaction._

In a tense voice, Leilani said, "Thanks for telling us."

Crestfallen at their unexcited reaction, Brittany flounced off to flaunt her knowledge to more important students.

Elise turned to Xander. "What's the matter? I mean, it's horrible what happened and all, but you didn't know him or anything did you?"

He took a shaky breath and kissed her. "It's nothing." But his eyes were still dark, their fire hidden, and he had withdrawn from her again.

Elise frowned, not satisfied. Leilani started babbling to cover the sudden silence. 

After lunch, Elise delayed him.

"Xander? What's wrong? You seem so, I don't know, _brooding_."

He clenched his jaw tightly, jamming his hands into his pockets. "We—" He broke off tersely. "Elise, you and I—" A muscle twitched in his cheek as he stopped again. His eyes refused to look at her.

Her chest constricted painfully around her heart, trying to squeeze it into normal rhythm as it thudded in her ears. She recognized that look instinctively, unhappily. It couldn't be. "Are you," her voice caught, "regretting us?" Ribs contracted tightly as she waited for a response.

"I don't know how to answer that," he answered almost bitterly.

The thumping in her ears paused, leaving her with a moment of cool clarity. "I need an answer, Xander," she said quietly.

He walked away from her.

Her calmness deserted her, and she felt as if she had been plunged into ice water. Her stomach twisted, and her heart stabbed against her ribs as though impaled by icy spears. She stopped breathing. Elise bit her lip, fighting the imminent tears, as the earth softly rumbled beneath her. _I will not be a baby_, she thought resolutely. _I can handle it. I can handle it. _She clenched her fists in determination and decided to figure out exactly what was up with the Morgan twins.

***

Xander avoided her eyes and ignored her overtures of conversation during the walk home. Conversation between the three was stilted and uncomfortable as Leilani debated the safest course to tread between her brother and her best friend—now his ex-girlfriend. 

Elise was desperately relieved when her home came into view, promptly ending the attempts at normalcy. She missed the customary good-bye kiss, but she was determined to be mature. Elise walked stiffly through the gate to her door.

"I'll call you later, Leilani!" Elise called jauntily over her shoulder, mustering up a breezy voice, as she let herself into her house.

She peeked out the window and watched Leilani and Xander walk out of sight, absorbed in conversation.

Whining, Sonakuta twined his large body around her long legs. "Hey, sweetie. Miss me? So," she said talking to the dog as she swung her backpack on the kitchen counter. "It's Friday, and I'm finished with almost all my homework, and the rest I can do tomorrow. _Sooo_, are you up to a little spying mission?" she asked mischievously. _I'm not going to let him get me down_, she said to herself, seeking refuge in over-excitement. 

The dhole perked and rubbed his side against her leg. "Good dog," Elise laughed hollowly.

"I'm not hungry and you seem perfectly happy with this plan, so we're free to go," she said companionably to Sonakuta.

His tail wagged, and Elise set out with the dog to her friends' house. The lump lodged in her throat threatened to dissolve into tears. _Stop it_, she ordered herself fiercely. _Just stop it._

Despite the warm sun on her back, Elise shivered as she walked down the sidewalk. She had been so preoccupied with her despondency, that she hadn't noticed the heaviness in the air. Her skin prickled and a lump of dread settled in the pit of her stomach. Sonakuta whined and walked closer to her.

"So, you feel it too," she mumbled softly to the dhole. With sudden clarity, she broke into a sprint. Whatever was causing this, imagined or actual, was definitely _unfriendly. Sona remained at her side, galloping with her._

"Sona!" she yelled suddenly as the dog streaked without warning from her side to chase after that damn black cat.

Elise swore and sped after the fleeing dhole. She lowered her head to bring on even more celerity, keeping her eyes locked on the golden-orange dog. She swore again, even more colorfully, when the sooty black cat and the pursuing dog veered off the sidewalk into the forest. Damnit. She hated this forest with its low dark clutching branches.

She crashed through the underbrush and vegetation, thankful she had worn jeans that day. "Sonakuta," she yelled. _I'll kill that damn dog_, she thought fiercely, promptly forgetting every nice thing she had ever thought about him.

Sonakuta stopped so suddenly that she nearly tripped over him in her momentum. "Sonakuta . . ." she began and trailed off as she looked around. They had reached a clearing, and that cat was now just sitting there in the middle calmly washing itself. But now that Sona had caught up with his prey, he was trembling and whimpering, huddled against her. She couldn't blame him. This clearing was the epitome of every fairytale Black Forest. Low overhanging branches blocked out the sunlight and the foliage surrounding them was dark and dense. Elise couldn't even tell which way she'd come from.

Sona whimpered again. She looked at that troublesome cat. The cursed creature had been following her around—she realized that now.

She bent down to grab a stone. Unreasonably, she did not like this cat. She wanted it _gone._

Just as she found a good-sized rock, she glanced up to aim and stared straight into those amber eyes . . .

. . . And her world fell from under her. Oh, god. It had been stalking her. Oh, god. It was hunting her, not following her. Oh, god. It wasn't a normal cat. Oh, god.

Kneeling in the soil, Elise knew she was being irrational and yet some gut survival instinct could not refute this new knowledge. Oh, god.

She heard a rustle, and then a man and a woman emerged from the vegetation opposite her. Oh, god. The man was the same one who attacked her. Oh, god. The woman was just as eerily immaculate and crazed. Oh, god. She was like bottled smoke with curling black hair and smoky gray eyes. Oh, god. These three are dangerous, Elise thought stupidly, still kneeling in the loam. Oh, god. Oh, god. Oh, _god._

The woman smiled cruelly and said, "So you are Elise."

"_OH GOD!" The scream ripped from throat._

"Clever girl."

Panting hard from panic, Elise screamed again and dove into the thick forest.

She ran from those people, not knowing where she was running. She just ran. Her feet, pounding against the dry ground, kept time, as her brain kept chanting, "Oh, god, oh, god, oh, god, oh, god."

Emerging from the portentous forest, Elise sobbed as she fell to the ground. Sonakuta stumbled out beside her, tongue lolling. She looked up and saw with relief that she had come out in the Morgans' backyard.

She stood and ran to their door. She saw them picking up things that must have fallen during the earthquake that had started when she was running. She'd hardly noticed it when it had struck, but apparently, it had done more harm than she had realized. She saw their shocked faces when they noticed her, but it didn't seem to register. In the bright sunshine, everything normal seemed unreal. Only the unreality of what had just happened seemed authentic. Then she was in Xander's safe arms.

He held her safe in the warm gold mist, breaking up forgotten. His hands brushed over her hair, and he whispered nonsensical soothing words until she calmed. With a kiss on her forehead, Xander led her to a chair and she sat. Xander sat next to her, arm still draped soothingly over her still shaky shoulders.

Leilani took her hand reassuringly and asked gently, "What happened, Elise?"

Haltingly, Elise poured out her story. She reddened, knowing how ludicrous she sounded. Just telling the tale seemed to purge her fear from her. Her limbs stopped shuddering, and her rational mind rose to the forefront again, wiping all the strangeness away. She felt utterly foolish now. 

She finished and looked at them not understanding their expressions. They were naturally worried about her—probably thought her insane—but there seemed to be a deeper concern lurking in their identical fire-green eyes.

"Elise," Xander said carefully, helping her to her feet. "Why don't we get you home? You need to rest."

And then as quickly as that, she suddenly understood. Her rational mind recoiled and then wrapped itself around her newfound understanding. "You guys know something. Tell me what you know." They looked at her silently. 

"Come on, I know you know something," she insisted. She turned away and began to pace, fitting the pieces that she had discounted as impossible together. "This all has something to do with you," she stated with certainty. "All these strange things have happened since you two turned up." She began ticking them off on her fingers. "A black cat following me. The blond guy attacking us. Even Mr. Hamilton's attack. You _know _something. Tell me. _Tell me_." She whirled on Xander. "How did you know to come help me when I was attacked, and Leilani," she continued, turning to her, "how did you know to bring that balm? I mean, the balm itself! How could you have made that?" Elise paused for breath, wondering how to phrase her next point. "There was lightning around you Xander," she added more calmly. "When you fought that blond man. I know I saw it." Closed expressions met her words. "Please, I don't understand anything that's going on. So please, just tell me."

Xander flicked his eyes towards Leilani and then looked straight at Elise, his green eyes locking with her blue ones. "Elise, come on, you need to get some rest."

Elise wanted to say no, wanted to demand an explanation; she was on a roll and excited by this coming-together puzzle. But she suddenly couldn't look away from those eyes. There was no fire in them; they were still and peaceful, two smooth, calm viridian ponds. She vaguely heard Xander say, "Just rest." Her energy drained out of her even while her excitement raged without abatement. She closed her eyes and thought, _There's another strange thing to add to my list. You can put people to sleep with your eyes._

She slept.

**Feedback, people. I thrive on it like sugar. See you soon!**


	7. Explanation

**DISCLAIMER: The concept of the Night World and all related characters belong to L.J. Smith, not me.** 

Author's Notes: Hi everyone. This takes place in the Night World universe but there's not going to be much going on with L.J. Smith's characters. These are all mine. Also, it takes place before Circle Daybreak is formed and therefore before the Night World books take place. Please send some feedback or review! Enjoy reading! 

******************* 

"In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two." 

~Erich Fromm~ 

Amulet of Artemis 

by: The Silver Princess

7

Sensation returned to Elise slowly. She slowly became aware of the cushions she was laying. Firm, not squishy. Some sort of cloth like corduroy. A couch then. When she breathed in, she suddenly realized that the air was heavy with the smell of herbs. She was still at the Morgans'; the house always smelled like that—supposedly from Leilani making her homemade balm. 

Finally she began to hear voices. Indistinct, but growing clearer.

"Do you think that was really Sinael who she saw?" Xander asked.

"Probably. The description fits her to the T and Elise would have no reason to lie or make it up," Leilani answered tiredly, as though they'd already been through this several times.

"But then why is she here? The circle certainly wouldn't send _her _after us," Xander thought aloud.

"I don't know Xander," Leilani said exasperatedly. "Perhaps it's all a coincidence. Maybe her reason for being here has nothing to do with us. Maybe she's here because of that strange feeling. She sensed it too. You'd have to be human not to."

Elise's eyelids flickered in surprise. _Human? As opposed to . . . not human?_

"Xander! She's coming out of it already. I thought you said she'd sleep until tomorrow morning," Leilani said sharply.

"It's probably because she's Elemental."

"What are we going to tell her?" Leilani asked, as fingertips gently rubbed Elise's temples. Xander said something; his voice was practically next to her ear, but the words got lost between his mouth and her ear, and Elise drifted asleep again.

When she woke again, she was huddled in her bed, her eyes shut tight against the sunlight pouring into her room. She opened her eyes a crack to squint at her clock. Nine o'clock AM. She yawned, stretching sore muscles like a cat. She needed some more of Leilani's balm. She frowned, still half-asleep. Why _was_ she so sore again? What was it she felt she had to remember?

She rubbed her eyes, stretched, and stumbled blearily from her bed. She splashed some cold water on her face and stared clear-eyed at her tousled reflection, the strange events of yesterday and her suspicions flooding back. _A dream? _she wondered, biting her lip. _But then what happened to the rest of yesterday?_ Her view of the world tilted crazily as the realization raced through her mind. It was as though everything she'd known had been make-believe, a cover-up for whatever she'd just caught a glimpse of. She gripped the edge of her sink, her knuckles turning white.

Knock, knock.

She breathed, stubbornness taking hold of her. Certain that the Morgan twins would try to avoid her questions, maybe even put her to sleep again, she steeled herself as she clambered downstairs.

Unlocking the door, she smiled as she let them, carefully not letting her eyes meet either of the twins'. "Listen," she said as she led them to the kitchen, her back stubbornly towards them. "I don't want you to tell me whatever story you've planned out. I just want to know the truth. Please just trust me."

"Elise—"

"No!" Elise exclaimed, sidestepping Xander's outstretched hand. "Just tell me exactly who that woman," she paused, dredging up the name she'd heard. "Sinael is. I want to know exactly why you could put me to sleep with your eyes. And why only a human would be blind to whatever is in this town." She risked a glance at Leilani, who was staring at her openmouthed.

"How did you—oh, you weren't just coming out of it that time; you were actually awake," she said.

Elise nodded as she sat down and stared at her hands. "Tell me, please."

"We're witches," Xander whispered, but Elise could hear the words as though he was speaking in her ear. She jerked and looked at him, forgetting to avoid his blazing green eyes.

There was no deceit in them, just solemn conviction. Elise swallowed. "Witches?" she faltered. Her brain felt numb. Well, that explained the whole not human thing. 

"Xander, the law is death—"

"Leilani, after what happened yesterday, I don't think the Night World law is our greatest concern."

Leilani shrugged, conceding the point. She hadn't seemed to adamant about it anyway.

Elise felt as though she had stepped into something she didn't understand. "I assume you're not talking about the Wiccan religion," she forced out, desperate to say something, anything.

 "You assume correctly," Leilani said. Elise turned to face her, and the fire-haired girl smiled crookedly. "Elise?" Leilani scrutinized her carefully.

"I'm okay, just . . . go on. I want to know everything."

Leilani looked over Elise's shoulder at Xander who must have gestured for her to continue because she smirked and said sarcastically, "Thanks." She took a deep breath. "Well, first of all, magic isn't exactly just snapping our fingers or wiggling our noses and _poof_. We're just, well, more connected to things, and we can often use that connection to our benefit. For example, I have a knack for things that are related to nature. That balm is not just plain old herbs when I prepare it. Xander, on the other hand, has more of a feel for the mind, that is he does better dealing with people, and he has the Sight. That kind of thing."

"But what about that lightning sort of stuff?" Elise faltered, wondering how to describe it.

Leilani glared at Xander, but he stayed silent, a mute presence at Elise's back, so she said, "We can, well, kind of call up that inner ability." She paused, considering. "It's kind of that we can physically hold our power in our hands. We're our own stun gun," she finished, with a half laugh.

"Witches," Elise whispered to herself. "Omigod, real witches." She looked up at Leilani. "Why are you here?" she asked carefully.

Leilani tried to hide a smile, gave up, and shrugged. "We ran away. Our circle, well just about all circles, are—to put it mildly—really old-fashioned. It didn't really fit us. Circle Midnight was the worst, but even ours, Circle Twilight, was pretty bad. Plus, all the witch-hunting in the past spooked our ancestors, so association—any at all— with humans is strictly regulated. We didn't really conform to that particular rule either."

"That's it?" Elise asked, the numbness in her brain starting to dissipate. "Just run-of-the-mill—well sort of—teenage rebellion?"

"Hey," Leilani said indignantly. "We personally think those are very good reasons. We're not being rebellious or anything just for the sake of it. Do you want to know what some of the more extreme Night Worlders have done to humans? You think we wanted to be a part of that—"

"Hey," Elise interrupted. "I wasn't criticizing or anything."

"Fine," Leilani said, somewhat mollified.

"What is this Night World you keep talking about?"

"Something of a secret society that witches are part of."

"There's more."

"Vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters…Okay, just breathe."

Elise gulped in air. Vampires? Shapeshifters? All of it was real. She bit her lip hard, forcing down her tumultuous feelings to remain rational. "Okay. I'm okay. But—why here? Our dinky little town?" Elise asked.

"Oh, we just picked at random actually," Leilani confessed. "By the time we realized there was that 'something' here, we'd already enrolled and gotten everything arranged. That's it. No biggie."

"And that's it," Elise repeated. "No big deal. But, hang on. This 'something' and that woman. And me. I mean . . . what . . . if it's . . .how am I . . ." She faltered, not knowing how to voice her question.

"You mean Sinael," Leilani said. "She's a surprise to us too actually. She used to be in our circle, but  . . . you see, she's one of those radicals I mentioned and her 'antics' were drawing too much attention, so the circle basically kicked her out. We tried to erase her memory, but she escaped, became a renegade. She's very powerful and always looking for a little more. So we think that she's most likely here to seize whatever that 'something,' that power, is. As for you, Xander did a Seeing and Saw that you were involved somehow. Sinael must have realized the same thing. That's why she went after you," Leilani said matter-of-factly.

 She'd been listening carefully, accepting Leilani's explanation until the end. "Me, but why me? I can't have anything to do with this," Elise declared, bewildered.

"You're Elemental," she answered. "Elemental humans were thought to be extinct, but apparently . . ." Leilani shrugged, and Elise just stared at her. "Elemental humans have Element blood, ancestry, in them. Elements are what we call them. I guess, they're kind of nature spirits. Sylphs are spirits of the air. Salamanders are spirits of fire. Undines are spirits of water. Nymphs are spirits of specific trees or streams or whatever. From what Xander and I could find, descendants of undines are most common. But you—from what we can tell—are descended from all of them. Which is...well, unheard of. But that does explain your strong life essence and, of course, your unearthly beauty."

Her reaction to the discovery of witches had faded. It wasn't that big of a deal when she thought about it logically. But this. Elise sat quietly, trying to assimilate this extraordinary information. She'd always knew she was different, but _this_. _This was unbelievable. But she still couldn't react the information. Her mind wasn't numb; it was paralyzed._

"Elise," Leilani was saying softly. "Can you tell us about you're parents? That might help us figure this out before Sinael does any harm."

Elise said flatly, "I'm adopted. I was abandoned here as a baby apparently by someone passing through because no one found a trace of them, so no one can tell me who my real parents are." All of a sudden, she started shaking. Witches, Elements. Maybe she wasn't dealing with this as well as she thought. She wrapped her arms around herself.

Leilani said in a soft, compassionate voice, "We should head home, give you some time with this."

Not looking her in the eye, Elise nodded.

Leilani left, but Xander remained, a silent presence still at her back. Through the whole conversation, he'd remained mute, just standing and listening. She loved him, she did, but she needed time. Witches. She was surprised at herself that she wasn't already hysterical. She loved him, but he was supernatural for God's sake. A witch! He was a _witch! There. Some hysteria had bubbled up there._

Finally, he spoke. "Elise," he said hesitantly, and she could hear the concern and worry in his voice even though she couldn't see him. "I realize this is a shock, but maybe you can understand that that's why I tried to push you away. I thought I'd endanger you. I'm so sorry," he whispered. 

She twisted around in her chair to look up at him. "Xander," she spoke irresolutely. "It's not that. I forgive you; I completely understand. It's not you. It's just, well, I need time. You're witch. Everything's just, I mean—" her voice broke, half-sobbing "—My best friend and my boyfriend are witches. Some psycho power-hungry witch who absolutely loathes humans is after us, and I'm apparently descended from, from—" she fumbled for the word "—from fairies!" Her voice rose feverishly at the end.

"I understand," he answered in hopeless tone.

Numbly, she stood up, the chair standing between her and Xander. Her stomach wrenched with indecision. _He's still the same,_ her mind whispered. _Look_, it said, _he still loves you and he's still the same wonderful guy._ He has the same adorable dark red-chocolate hair falling haphazardly into those blazing emerald eyes. Oh, god, she realized, but now those fire-green eyes seemed heartbroken and begging, gleaming with unshed tears. How could she be so superficial? He had entrusted her with his secret, and now she was callously rejecting him. 

Her chest tore with love and anguish, and in an instant, she covered the distance between them and buried herself in his arms. With a shudder, his arms embraced her with relief. 

She trembled, and then she was sobbing into his shoulder. She stood there shaking, tears soaking his clothes. He just murmured soothingly and stroked her hair. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled, voice muffled against him.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I love you," he said, and that was all that was needed.

She looked up with a small wet smile, tears melting away. He wiped away the last trace of wetness with his thumb. Then he kissed her delicately on the mouth, shyly as though they'd never kissed before. "I should get going. Leilani will wonder what's keeping me," he said finally, as he pulled away. 

Elise grinned and pulled him back for another quick kiss. "Se ya' later, witch," she murmured faintly against his lips.

He smiled, and then pulled away. "We'll come by tomorrow," he said. After a pause he added, "After we finish our homework," and then he was gone. Elise went over to the cupboard to get her cereal out. She laughed as she poured bran flakes in a bowl. Her life had just skyrocketed off the weirdness scale, and all she could think of was that she had no milk! Sometimes, she didn't understand herself.

"Incredible," she murmured. "The Night World," she added, trying out the name on her tongue. "Incredible."

**Review and tell me what you think! Thanx!**


	8. Theories and Research

**DISCLAIMER: The concept of the Night World belong to L.J. Smith, not me. But my characters, namely Elise, the Morgan twins, and Sinael are mine. Please don't steal them.** 

Author's Notes: Hi everyone. This takes place in the Night World universe but before Circle Daybreak is formed and therefore before the Night World books take place. Please send some feedback or review! Enjoy reading! 

******************* 

"In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two." 

~Erich Fromm~ 

Amulet of Artemis 

by: The Silver Princess

8

Xander paused just outside her door, allowing himself a moment to simply grin before he started home. Goddess, he had nearly lost her. But she was strong enough to accept him and actually make the first move to save their love. A miracle, a smiling, loving, glittering miracle. He loved her with every molecule of his body. He laughed, almost giddily as he turned the corner onto his street.

He reached home and found his sister waiting solemnly for him. _Poor Leilani_, he thought sympathetically. She loved life so much, hated seriousness and avoided it whenever possible. Before whatever was up with Sinael was over, she would be forced to remain serious for much longer.

With worried fire-green eyes, she asked, "How's Elise? Did she say anything? Is she . . . taking it well?"

"She's fine. Unnerved, but she's accepted it. Things should be fine between all of us."

Leilani broke into a relieved grin. "Thank the Goddess."

The twins just sat there smiling in relief for a minute, before Leilani broke the momentary peace and suggested, "Perhaps you should See again." She did not need to voice her concerns about Sinael aloud for him to infer her reasons.

A presaging disquiet pricked at his consciousness as he nodded and fetched the candle. He carefully cleared his mind and murmured the spell, falling deep into the ebony center of the flame. 

*           *           *

Elise spent the rest of the day attempting to catch up on homework, clean up, and watch television—trying to do all sorts of normal things. 

_Witches are real. Witches are real. Witches are real. _

It was a strange catchy little chant that would suddenly pop up out of nowhere and distract her whenever she was about to succeed in concentrating on something else. Finally, she slammed shut her enormous biology textbook in irritated frustration and stalked towards the bathroom to soak in a long relaxing bath, something she hadn't done in a long while.

God, witches were real. There it was again. She groaned, glaring around her bathroom as though she could blame the blue tiles or the shelf of toiletries. Everything was so familiar, so everyday. There lay her half-gone tube of toothpaste and her toothbrush. They were so devastatingly normal and mundane; how could everything seem suddenly different in her eyes when it was obviously unchanged? She glanced at herself in the mirror. She was different as well. She was—what was the word?—Elemental. Descended from spirits of nature. Her beauty _was otherworldly. She gazed at her reflection. She did notice differences in herself suddenly, especially her eyes. Veiled somewhere in those cerulean depths, there was something else, something she had not noticed or had ignored, something not completely human. Proof._

Unexpectedly light-headed, she clutched at her counter, feeling the solidarity of the cold ceramic. _Get a grip_, she ordered herself. _You already dealt with all this morning. Stop being an idiot_. 

Taking a deep breath, she calmed down and, as if to prove her self-control to someone absent or invisible, added a good dollop of fragranced bubble bath to the tub.

Later, as she was making spaghetti, there was a knock at her door. Remembering Sinael and her little henchman, she stifled the welcoming shout in her throat. It was doubtful that either of those two would knock or wait, she knew, but she felt certain that trickery was not something with which they were unfamiliar. She turned off the stove and, hefting a frying pan, padded over to see who was at the door.

With relief, she saw the Morgan twins standing at her doorstep. Setting aside the pan, she flung the door open and let them in.

Leilani stood there awkwardly, waiting for Elise to say something.

As she looked at her best friend's uneasy face, she burst out laughing. "I always knew you had to be less than normal to hang out with me!"

Leilani grinned and the two friends hugged warmly. "I knew you wouldn't care," she responded happily.

Xander came forward now that the girls were comfortable again. He snaked his arm around Elise's waist and drew her to him with a kiss.

When they parted, Leilani said mockingly, "I see we're getting much less modest these days."

Elise laughed, still heady from the kiss, and invited them inside, as Leilani graciously explained that they had already eaten dinner but that that should not stall her.

"So, I'm assuming there is a purpose behind visiting me this late today when you'd said you would swing by tomorrow," Elise said as she filled her bowl and one as well for Xander who, when realizing there was food around, had tackled her with his best puppy-dog face despite his sister's disapproving frown.

Sitting down across from Elise and Xander, Leilani said, "Actually, yeah, there is a reason. Xander Saw this morning after he returned from walking you home and…" She paused thoughtfully. "Well, he should tell you."

She turned to him and gave him an inquiring look.

He looked up from his meal, frowning. "You can't even wait till I've finished my spaghetti?" he asked, throwing his hands up in mock exasperation. "Oh, all right," he conceded. "Basically, my vision is still being very vague, clouded, but I am getting something more than I had previously." He turned to face Elise directly, locking eyes with her. "There's a reason that you're more than Elemental. It's not coincidence. It's very closely related to whatever power is here. Somehow, there's a connection. So Leilani and I started thinking. Elise, is there anything you can think of that's weird about this town? Here in specific? Any strange phenomena, residents, places? It may give us an idea what is going on and how you're connected to it."

Elise frowned, trying to think of something that fit that description, but her mind kept drifting to other peripheral ideas. _Funny_, she thought, _we all automatically assume we're going to do whatever possible to fight Sinael, to stop her. Though I, at least, have very little choice in the matter. She'll keep coming after me._ She shivered as she logically followed that line of reasoning. _She'll keep coming after me until she's caught me, killed me, and I can't count on—_

"The earthquakes!" Elise exclaimed.

Leilani and Xander jumped at the sudden break in the patient silence. 

She tapped her fingers on the counter animatedly, proud at solving the riddle—or at least feeling as though she had. "I mean, all the geologists keep saying they're physically impossible! We've had dozens of different scientists up her trying to explain them, but no one can…" She faltered uncertainly as her initial burst of inspiration faded. "Doesn't that fit what you were saying?" she finished uncertainly.

Leilani's fiery green eyes flared excitedly as she turned over an idea in her mind. Elise could practically see her mind placing pieces of a mentalpuzzle together. "Elise," Leilani said thoughtfully, "do you remember where you were when these quakes hit?"

Taken aback she stammered, "Um, some, some of the big ones, yeah." She glanced cautiously at Xander and, with an identical excited gleam in his emerald eyes, he nodded. She continued, "Well, there was one on my first day of school. Umm, another in November three years later. I remember that because . . . well, I kind of beat up a kid that day." She blushed and hurried on. "There was another about six years later, the first week after winter vacation. Now that was a bad one, which just my luck, compounded one of the worst days of my life." Her face darkened at the memory. She shook off the mental cobwebs. "And of course," she appended, "the recent ones you already know about."

The twins glanced at each other, and Xander said, "This is just a theory, but have all the earthquakes happened when you were really upset or excited or just emotional?" Elise nodded, staring at him uncomprehendingly. Xander broke into a grin hugging her closely. "I know this sounds crazy, but I think that means that you're behind the earthquakes!"

She stared back and forth at the two of them, before she burst into unbridled laughter. "Me?" she asked incredulously. "No way, not even possible. I can buy the whole witch thing, but this? It's completely ridiculous. You have to know how ridiculous that sounds!" She tried to say more, but her sides were starting to hurt.

Leilani's dry voice cut into her mirth. "But I'm willing to bet that this town never had any earthquakes eighteen years ago."

Elise's laughter dwindled as she thought about that. She frowned. "You know, I think you're right," she confessed reluctantly. "Yeah, I think the first one was about that time ago." She shook her head, still unwilling to give credence to their theory. "But that notwithstanding, the idea that _I'm behind the quakes? It's…ridiculous."_

Xander said, "Even so, it's a clue, and we should probably follow it up."

Elise managed to resist the urge to roll her eyes at their obvious folly and asked resignedly, "Where to?"

With a happy grin, Leilani said, "The library."

The twins had her bustled through the door before she could finish saying, "Is the library even open this late?"

*           *           *

"Are we looking for something specific or are just wandering aimlessly around the library?" Elise asked irritably.

"Want some bread with that whine?" Leilani asked equally cross. They glared at each other.

Xander made a noise.

 "Xander, did you just _snarl_ at us?" Elise asked incredulously as she turned her hostility on him.

They had been wandering futilely around the library without finding anything helpful. Plus, she felt increasingly idiotic looking for something to prove that she was causing the earthquakes. The three of them had been griping and sniping at each other, the first time since they had met, the entire time. 

"You know, we're never going to find anything here. These books don't even mention our town. We don't even make a dot on the map," Elise pointed out for what felt like the millionth time.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Leilani snapped back, their argument already monotonous. She pulled down a book, flipped through it, and put it back with a sigh.

There was something else bothering Elise beyond her companions' behavior. She had never liked the library—it had always felt musty and forgotten and she had always feared becoming lost and unremembered there as a child—but she knew there was something important that would help. . .

"That's it!" she exclaimed. At the glare of the librarian, she lowered her voice and said, "Newspaper articles."

At a questioning look from the witch twins, she explained, "The library always keeps a record of the newspapers published. That's where we'd be most likely to get information about the earthquakes and anything else weird like that going on here."

The fire of an actionable plan cleansed away the antagonism, and with directions from the librarian, the trio found the computer with the articles stored on it. "See if you can find the first earthquake," Leilani suggested as Elise settled before the machine, she being the most familiar with such technology.

With a grumble, Elise complied. After a minute, she said, "Here it is. 'Yesterday our town was rocked by what seemed to be an earthquake' blah blah blah damage, injuries, blah, blah 'Geologists are being called in to investigate this phenomenon. They will attempt to ascertain if this is a new fault.' And so on and so forth." She looked up to the twins flanking her. 

"What else happened that day?" Leilani asked.

"I don't have to look," Elise answered quietly, a strange thumping in her chest that echoed in her ears. She had disregarded the import of the date momentarily, but the question brought its relevance to her full force. She wondered vaguely how much further her resilience to shock would be tested. "The day of the earthquake was the day I was abandoned here," she said finally. Then, admitting unhappily, "Looks like your theory might be right."


	9. Hunter and Prey

**DISCLAIMER: The concept of the Night World belong to L.J. Smith, not me. But my characters, namely Elise, the Morgan twins, and Sinael are mine. Please don't steal them.** 

A/N: I know it's a little short, but it's an important lead-up. And reminder: This takes place in the Night World universe but before Circle Daybreak is formed and therefore before the Night World books take place. Please send some feedback or review! Enjoy reading! 

******************* 

"In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two." 

~Erich Fromm~ 

Amulet of Artemis 

by: The Silver Princess

9

They returned happily to the Morgan house. "Perhaps you should do another Seeing now that we know a little more," Leilani suggested.

Trying to look put-upon, Xander agreed. Elise leaned forward in her chair to absorbedly watch as Xander Saw.

"What's he doing?" she whispered to Leilani, not wanting to disturb his trance.

"He stares into the center of the flame and invokes his Sight and then he, well, Sees."

"Oh, that was a great description. Everything's crystal-clear now," she said laughingly, as she sat back in her chair. Absentmindedly, she asked aloud, "How could I be descended from all the . . . whatever they are?"

"Well, I guess that the different Elements must have, just, kept on marrying into your family until you were born."

"I wish I knew more about my parents," Elise said sadly, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Goddess!" Leilani exclaimed. "Stupid, I should have thought of it before."

"What?"

Leilani turned to her best friend. "Some herbs don't require magic to activate, but to grow. And I happen to have some dream-thistle powder with me, completely usable by humans. You can find out memories from when you were abandoned. Come on." Leilani grabbed Elise by the wrist and dragged her to another room, even as the blue-eyed girl was trying to make sense of what she had said.

"You mean, your magic plant can help me remember my parents?" 

"Yes!"

Elise stopped and stared around the study, a room she'd never been in before. So this was where the twins kept all of their witchy supplies. There were shelves lining every inch of every wall, crammed with twisted ancient vials, highly polished and gilded bottles, and the worn and cared-for flasks. There were amulets and charms littered all over, some stuffed in boxes. And, an enormous bookcase of the most ancient-looking tomes she'd seen outside of a museum. It was unnerving to see such antique and powerful materials in the hardwood newness of the room. 

As Elise stared openmouthed, Leilani deftly rummaged through the densely packed shelves. "Ah, here." She pulled out two small clay bottles, one plugged with red wax, the other simply a thick wad of tissue paper. "Come on." She led Elise to yet another room, a bedroom. "Lie down." Catching the look on Elise's face, she added "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Doubtfully, Elise sat on the bed and watched her friend pour some fine white powder from the bottle with tissue paper into the one that had been capped with wax. She handed the bottle to Elise and cheerfully said, "Drink up." Swishing it round, Elise examined at it as Leilani left the room; It splashed around a little; there didn't seem to be much in there. Here was her chance. Her chance to see her parents, to figure out if any of this earthquake nonsense was true. Her eyes solemn, she took a deep breath and with a grimace, gulped it down fast. Strange, it tasted kind of like liquid cinnamon and sugar. 

Her eyes became heavy. With a large yawn, she stretched out on the bed. She purred like a cat; the bed was so comfortable. _Maybe I'll just take a little nap while they're doing their witch stuff_, she thought drowsily. Eighteen-year-old Elise closed her eyes.

*           *           *

And baby Elise opened her eyes. Her mother was cradling her. With wide childlike eyes, she looked up at the woman carrying her. _So that's where I get my nose_, she thought, as she stared at the creamy skin. _She looks a lot like me, except for her coloring_, she realized_. I wonder what her name is._

As if sensing her daughter's thoughts, her mother looked down at her. Gently, wisps of her chestnut hair tickled Elise's face. She giggled. With gentle chocolate eyes, her mother brushed them away.

Arms tensed around her as her mother jumped, startled by a nearby noise. The pounding of her mother's heart was loud and rapid next to Elise's ear, and her chest began to rise and fall faster as her breath quickened.

"Rowena, is everything all right?"

Daddy. And suddenly there was a man leaning over her. So here was where she inherited her golden hair and liquid cobalt eyes.

"I thought I heard something in the trees," she murmured. "The woods are too quiet, and they are frightened to speak to me." Hurt was an undercurrent beneath her fear.

Her father nodded once, a quick jerk of his head and moved from Elise's vision. "Benedict!" Rowena hissed anxiously.

Elise heard rustling, and her mother fidgeted fretfully, glancing around with fitful frequency.

"It was some animals. Their tracks lead the same way we're going," her father's deep voice explained.

"Running," she whispered: statement not question. Her eyes closed. "I miss my home," she admitted, her voice heavy with wistful longing. "Most of us never leave our birthplace." Moisture glimmered on her eyelashes.

"I know," he said understandingly. He moved close to her, lovingly wrapping his arms around her. With a sad smile, she opened her eyes, and they gazed tenderly, sorrowfully at each other.

"Come on, we have to hurry," she said finally. "The witches won't be fooled for long. They want her," she glanced down at her daughter, "and _it _too badly to be put off for long. And there's too many to fight them off."

Her father nodded, and the family continued on their way. Baby Elise was completely unaware of what was going on, and with a happy sigh, she fell asleep, cradled in her mother's arms.

*           *           *

And eighteen-year-old Elise woke up. She sat up rubbing her forehead. Xander was sitting at her side.

"Hi," he said, giving her a kiss. "Find out anything?"

"Not much," she answered. "You?"

"Not much. My Sight has never done this before. It doesn't seem to want to show me anything."

Leilani entered with a glass of water. Elise drank it thankfully. "Well, basically all I found out was that my parents were here because," she trailed off trying to think. "They seemed to be running from, uh, witches. I woke up before I could find out anything else." She glanced anxiously at the witch twins, hoping they weren't offended. 

Xander said, "It's okay, we understand, After all, most witches aren't exactly the nicest people towards humans. I doubt they'd make an exception even for Elemental humans. Did you hear one of them say how many witches were after them?"

Relieved that they weren't taking it the wrong way, she answered, "No, but my mom made it seem like a lot." She paused as a small ache of guilt rose inside her. "They wanted me," she murmured softly, more to herself.

She didn't know if Xander heard her or not, but he put his arm around her nevertheless, offering welcome support.

"Do you think it . . . Could it be the Hunt?" Leilani asked.

"Maybe," Xander answered dubiously.

"Wait, I'm lost." Elise interjected, waving her hand in front of them. "Human here, you know," 

Xander explained, "About seventeen years ago, there was a large hunt, for lack of a better word. Very hush, hush. It's one of the absolute innermost secrets of Circle Midnight, the darkest of the witches' circles. Most witches actually don't believe it ever happened, that the Circle Midnight witches invented it to further their reputation. Personally, Leilani and I they're blind. Circle Midnight doesn't need any reputation bolstering, and from the rumors…we can believe they were responsible for the Hunt."

"So, Elise's parents were being pursued by the Hunt," Leilani said thoughtfully. Xander opened his mouth as though about to tell her not to jump to conclusions, but she was continuing. "Somehow or another Elise's parents must have somehow affected this place with a power and then left Elise. Now, Sinael has apparently come here for that power that they left. And Elise can somehow can use it to create earthquakes. Is this what we're saying?"

Xander nodded unhappily, "Sounds farfetched, but it's all we've come up with."

A sibilant feminine voice rang out, "This is better than _any_ game I ever played. You're much cleverer than I would have thought traitors could be."

Sinael was standing in the doorway, giggling.

"No, no. Don't bother getting up. I'm just dropping by for a visit. Fascinating, I never knew _humans, even Elemental ones, could cause earthquakes. Thanks for the info. I knew this whole spying thing was a good idea."_

She disappeared before they could respond. The earth shivered, and the twins looked at Elise. The golden-haired girl shrugged ruefully and said, "Sorry, she bugs me."


	10. Interview with a Villain

**DISCLAIMER: The concept of the Night World belong to L.J. Smith, not me. But my characters, namely Elise, the Morgan twins, and Sinael are mine. Please don't steal them.** 

******************* 

"In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two." 

~Erich Fromm~ 

10

The next weekend came, golden and peaceful, and Saturday's sunshine was like liquid honey painted over the town. Despite being well into autumn, the air still smelled fresh and summery, and it seemed an ideal day for anything.

Except for one thing. The idea drifted indecisively through Elise's mind, refusing to fade away despite its stupidity. She stared out the window, finding it difficult to believe how her life had changed. Although neither Xander nor Leilani actually said it, she felt that she was now in a battle for her life. If they were right about her heritage, Sinael would definitely want her out of the way.

But why did she need this power so much? It had to be something special, if such a power-mad witch was after it. They were trying to fight her going on nothing but guesses.

Elise sighed restively and fingered a small pillow of pine needles from Leilani. At least, it _smelled_ like pine, but Leilani had said it would help protect her.

After a moment of hesitation, Elise decided to put it to the test with her idea. They had nothing to go on; Sinael had all the power. Besides, from her manner during her little appearance, it seemed as though terrorizing but not harming—at least for now—was her favorite pastime. _Except Mr. Hamilton_, a small voice whispered, but she ignored it.

Tucking the fragrant, and hopefully protective, pillow into her pocket, Elise slipped out of the house, careful not to disturb the sleeping dhole.

As she walked down the sidewalk, she thought again how foolish she was being and what Xander would say if he where there. She almost turned back, but she remembered the crazed look in Sinael's silvery eyes and headed onward with a tense face.

Taking a deep gulp, she plunged into the ominous forest. She had no clue to Sinael's whereabouts other than the clearing she'd first met her.

She reached what seemed to be the same clearing and looked around. There was no sign of Sinael, that hired witch, or her feline familiar.

"Oh no you don't," she muttered aloud. Taking a deep breath, she yelled at the top of her lungs, "Sinael! I want to talk to you! Where are you?"

As the birds chirped in response, she tried yelling again, "Sinael!"

"You rang?" 

That soft serpentine voice came from just behind her. She spun around, hair whipping her face.

Keeping her voice steady, Elise said, "I want information. You mentioned this as a 'game.' All right, let's play a little. After all, what's the use of getting more power if there's no fun involved?" she asked with a careless shrug. "So let's make it a little more interesting for you. Tell me what you know. Give yourself challenge. Be a _sport_." Elise's voice became hard and unforgiving as ice; she did not enjoy being toyed with.

Soft sinuous laughter. "You're good for a human. Clever. Almost had me manipulated there. And simply to show I'm a _sport_ I'll tell you anyway. After all, part of the fun is the . . . hunt." 

Elise clenched her fist. "Go ahead."

"My, my. Who knew such cuddly creatures could have such cold depths? All right. I'm actually not that much older than you. Just a few years, believe it or not. And when I was just a little girl, my mother took me everywhere. And my mother's love hunting was passed on to me, especially after that one particularly magnificent hunt. Yes, I was there. That infamous Hunt seventeen years ago. Oh, it was simply glorious reveling in the fear and the challenge of the opposing sorcery. It was like a drug; you could become intoxicated with that feeling. But, despite the glory of it, it wasn't very well put together. No one ever realized or even suspected that your parents had left _you_ and the object of the hunt in this little hovel of a town. But I realized. Oh, yes, I figured it out. And now I'm back to finish off the hunt."

Dissatisfied, Elise responded, "Great story. And you know nothing more, like for example what the object is?"

Before she could react, the witch was standing before her. Strange, Elise had never noticed her diminutive height. It didn't seem to matter; even glaring upward cast the woman in a sinister light. Sinael's hand snaked up to stroke her golden hair. Elise scarcely restrained herself from slapping the offending hand away; she did not want to touch her. 

"You're very pretty, Elise. That's short for Elizabeth, isn't it, Liz? Would you like to know secret, Beth? Tell your little boyfriend that the hunt was nothing in legend compared to its object. That's all for now, Libby. Can't give everything away. That would take out all the fun." She paused her stroking. "It's been fun chatting. By the way Betsy—oh, I do think that's my favorite—I could hurt you very easily, despite that flimsy protection spell that that female gave you. I wouldn't recommend summoning me again. Ta." With claws that had appeared while they were talking, she swatted at Elise's arm like a cat that can't be bothered to really put in that much effort and dissolved into the air.

Elise fell to her knees, weak in Sinael's wake. She clutched at her arm, where the witch had left four angry red abrasions. Thankfully, she had not drawn blood. She stared down at her shaking hands and then frowned, as some fluffy, gray substance floated down and landed on her palm. She reached up and found small clumps of gray in her hair that disintegrated when her fingers brushed them. She looked up at the clearing. 

At first, she couldn't quite understand what she was seeing. Then, her eyes recognized what had happened. While the two had been talking, Sinael had burnt the clearing.

The trees were skeletal and black, pieces of charcoal still crumbling. The grass was equally crisp and black. It was like standing in another world, one of pain and desolation. Except for a circle of green where the two had been standing, talking, the entire clearing was blackened and morbid. _I'm in a fairy ring_, she thought, skin tingling faintly. The ashes of the once-living leaves continued to drift down around her, more catching in her hair and brushing her skin. With a shudder, she stood and left the clearing, resolutely refusing to even glance back at the blackened blemish in the verdant forest. 

***

"You little idiot," he whispered fiercely, hugging her so tightly, she felt fit to pop. "You had no idea whether or not she would hurt you!" Elise had not told them about the scratches.

Leilani giggled. "Oh, I wish I could have seen her face when you asked her to be a 'sport'!" she managed to blurt out before dissolving into laughter again.

Xander gave his twin a venomous glare and said through clenched teeth, "You're not helping." Leilani's face contorted as she attempted to swallow her laughter and ended up with a sort of wet, sputtering choke before she finally managed to get herself under control.

"Xander," Elise interjected. "I know it was stupid, but I did find out some important stuff. She said that whatever power is here is even more mythical than that hunt you mentioned. Any ideas?"

Xander immediately shook his head

Hesitantly, Leilani said, "I have an idea. It could be one of the Three Talismans." She scowled at Xander's muffled snort and said, "Oh come on. If Elise can accept that witches are real, we could accept the Talismans are or at least that Sinael thinks they are."

Elise waved her hand at Leilani. "Like I said earlier. Human. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"According to legend, the Three Talismans were created many millennia ago as sort of a trio of powerful objects. No one knows anything about what they do actually. Let's see. I think their names are the Amulet of Artemis, the Charm of Selene, and the Periapt of Hecate. The names actually don't have anything to do with them directly; they just sort of fit. Artemis was a three-fold goddess. She was Artemis on Earth, Selene in the sky, and Hecate below in the land of Darkness and during nights when it's a new moon. So considering the coloring of the objects and their coming in three, the name sort of stuck. 

"Anyway, I think Sinael was probably just messing with you and trying to get us off track. Xander's right. Saying that one of those things is here is like saying Excalibur is here."

"Yeah," Elise said doubtfully. "Maybe I should use some of that dream-thistle stuff again."

Leilani immediately responded, "No, not again so soon after the first time. Later this week maybe."

***

"I'm sorry, Xander."

He glanced at her, breath warming her face. Leilani had to stay after school to plant some herbs to protect the students, so it was just Xander and Elise.

"I mean, I didn't want to endanger myself. I just feel like we're getting nowhere. Things are happening. I overheard a student talking about a black cat that tried to bite him. And another one about a woman who disappeared before her eyes. She's not careless; she's too dangerous to just be careless. She's getting ready."

"I know; I just don't want anything to happen to you."

They kissed goodnight and Xander watched her enter home. With a sigh, he turned around towards his home.


End file.
